Piano bench music cabinet



mar 'zs, 1939. w. H. G-EQ U H 235 37 PIANO BENCH MUSIC CABINET FiledAug. 19. 1937 William H. Qelbadgh F I. v4 v4 is Mom;-

Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFlCE PIANO- BENCH MUSICCABINET William H. Gelbaugh, Tacoma, Wash.

Application August 19,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinets for holding music and has for itsobjects, first, to provide such a cabinet within the space under apiano-bench;

second, in which the music may be sorted as to size of the sheets, thetype of music, or in any other way desirable, and in which such sortedmusic is contained in separate compartments; third, in which the musicholder is hidden when the piano-bench is in use; fourth, in which themusic holder is tilted to bring the musicin position for convenienthandling when the bench lid is raised; fifth, in which a suitable stopon the music holder engages the bench frame to prevent the holder frombeing tilted beyond the dead center; and sixth, which is simple andcheap to make, efficient in use, and easy to operate.

I attain these and other objects by the devices, mechanisms, andarrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1is a front elevation of my improved piano-bench music cabinet, showingthe lid raised and illustrating the accessibility of the music in theseveral music compartments therein; Fig. 2 is a cross-section on theline 22 in Fig. 3, the lid thereof being closed; Fig. 3 is across-section of one end thereof; and Fig. 4 is a view simi-. lar toFig. 2, with the bench lid raised and'all the music compartments inposition for the receipt of music. Similar numerals of reference referto similar parts throughout the several views.

The keeping of sheet music in a convenient place and in an orderlymanner is generally recognized by musicians to be highly desirable andmyimproved music cabinet accomplishes both of these objects by placing themusic in suitable compartments under the piano-bench, and by swingingthe several compartments, when the bench lid is raised, into a suitablytilted or inclined position with all the compartments readily accessibleso that any desired sheet of music may be withdrawn therefrom, and sothat all the music sheets may each be placed and kept in its propercompartment.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the piano-benchcomprises a four-sided frame composed of a rear panel I, two end or sidepanels 2, and a front panel 3, all suitably secured together andsupported. on four legs 4, and 50 this frame is provided with a lid 5suitably secured to the rear panel I of the frame by means of hinges 6.The under side of the lid 5 is provided with two music compartments 1formed by a sheet 8 supported by side and center strips 9 and a bottomstrip It, This structure there- 1937, Serial No. 159,888

fore provides two pockets adapted to receive and hold sheet music, ormusic books.

The frame has no bottom closure but a music holder H is swung therein asillustrated in the drawing. This holder II comprises a structure havinga base sheet I2 of slightly smaller dimensions than the inside of thesaid frame, and on which the holder II is erected, two side and twointermediate strips l3 and a bottom strip l4, all said parts l3 and I4being mounted on the base sheet l2 and separating the three sheets l5into three tiers of compartments I6 each adapted to receive sheet music.The holder H thus formed, therefore, is provided with a series of nineopen compartments, each adapted to receive a plurality of pieces ofsheet music, thus providing, in conjunction with the above-describedcompartments l on the under side of the lid 5, a total, as illustratedof eleven compartments and thus providing ample means to segregate theseveral kinds or types of music or opportunity to arrange the musicsheets according to title, if so desired.

It will be observed that the end or side panels 2 of the frame are eachprovided with an additional inside strip ll, forming a shoulder I8 onits lower edge and provided with a suitably positioned trunnion bearingor hole l9. It will also be observed that the two ends of the swingingmusic holder II are each provided with a suitably positioned plate 20rigidly secured thereto and that each of these plates is provided with atrunnion or pivot 2| extending laterally therefrom and entering saidholes 19 in the frame. These trunnions 2| are in coaxial alinement.Also, it will be seen that the said plates 20 are provided with outwardextending stop lugs 22 which are so positioned as to engage the underside of the said shoulder l8 on the frame before the holder is swung toits most elevated position,

as hereinafter described. It will also be observed from the drawing thatthe position of the axis of the pivot holes IS in the frame, isapproximately central in the frame but is slightly nearer the rearwardor hinged side thereof; and that the same axis lies close to the topsheet l5 of the music holder and in a correspondingly close positionrelative to the rearward or open end thereof, thus throwing the musicholder l off balance on its pivots and causing it to tend to assume itsinclined or open position (Fig. 4).

The base sheet plate l2 of the holder II is provided at each of its tworear corners with brackets 23 extending upward therefrom, to which apair of connecting bars or links 24 are pivotally attached. The otherends of these links the bracket 23and the link 24 is below the deadcenter of the mechanism, as shown (Fig. 4), and

so that the lid 5 is opened or raised beyond its dead center; thus theapparatus automatically stays open for the handling of the'music' in theseveral compartments, without the need of any latch or prop and underthe combined gravitational forces acting on the lid 5 and ontherunbalanced music holder ll, both of which tend to resist the closingof the said lid. Thus it will be seenthat the lid ismovedthrough morethan a right-angle while/the music-holder is moved thereby througha'much smaller angle.

It isto be understood that variations in the. details of" constructionof my improved piano bench music cabinetmay' be'made withoutdeparting'from the: spirit 'ofmy invention as outlined in theappendedclaims, and that the words and terms used 'in the above specificationand in the claims are chosen for'convenience and are intended to"hav'eas generic a meaningas the state of the art willpermit.

Having, therefore, described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a music cabinet, the combination of a supporting frame; a lidhingedly secured to said frame; a music holder pivotally mounted in saidframe the longitudinal axis of said pivots being positioned adjacent thetop edge of said music holder whereby, the said music holder, whilesubstantially-filling the lower portionv of the space contained: by said-frame, is unbalancedotherein and tends to swing on its pivots from itshorizontal position to its inclined position; and a long link connectingthe upper portion of said lid to the rearward end of said music holderwhereby, when :the lidflis'closed the music holder is in ahorizontal'position in the frame with its open rearwardi -endflying:adjacent the hinge of said lid and when the lid is raised themusic holder is tipped into a rearwardly inclined position in saidframe;-

2.: A :musicccabinet iasrset forthifiin :claimi1, to-' gether: with:a-:stopironi* saidz music holder' adapted to engagefthe -frame'-'and: to.prevent the music.

holderfrom: rotating to- -its dead:- center, and wherein saidalinkiiisofflsucha length andzposition as to causeatheahd to xopenbeyond its.dead center when said stop is :in such. frame '-'engaging position',wherebyrthrough': the: cooperation of the uh

